Bail
by Washi1
Summary: What happens to Hyde right before "Bye Bye Basement". Edna is back in town, and she and Bud Bail on Hyde together. COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

Bail  
  
Second Fic! Hope you like it! As always, I'll post more if I get good feedback. So, please, R/R. :D  
  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing man. The characters and the Show are owned by FOX and CWM.  
  
  
He stopped the car in his usual parking spot. He looked up and saw a light in his father's apartment.  
"That's weird, Bud doesn't come home before eleven, and that's if he sneaks out. Maybe he got the day off or something."  
Still, Steven Hyde felt something weird was going to happen. He felt it in his gut. He stopped the engine and got out, pulling on his worn jacket. He locked the car. As he did so, he saw a reflection of himself in the driver window. Alone in the dark night. Not weird or bizarre, yet, he felt a chill run down his spine. He dismissed it and went in, taking the steps two at a time, like he usually did when he was tired and wanted to sleep. But this time, he felt an urgency, one he had never felt before, and he actually ran up the three floors to his dad's apartment. He opened the door, and for a second thought that burglars were there. Then, he saw it, Edna's worn coat, hanging limply from the coat hanger. He closed the door quietly, and looked at the room, which was now a disaster area. Everything was packed up, as if waiting to be shipped overseas, to some distant and foreign country. He looked again at the coat, black, now a faded gray, and he sighed. He wondered why his mother was back in town.   
'Probably hitting Bud up for money.' he thought, inwardly shrugging. But then, he remembered the boxes.  
'Maybe Bud got a house or something.' he said, not understanding. But in the back of his brains, the nagging thought was already up and at it.  
'Edna came back just to bail on you again, taking Bud with her man! You're screwed again!'  
Hyde hated that stupid little voice. It was that voice that made him go out that one date with Jackie. But as hard as he tried to dismiss the thought, it got stronger.  
"Shut up!" he murmured, getting angry. But that was just for a second, before his Zen kicked back.  
He took five steps in the room, and stopped again, hearing giggling.   
'Wait, that's Edna's giggling man!' his "other" brain said. 'They're both gonna bail on you man! I knew it!' Hyde, as always bottled that thought up with the rest.  
He thought of what to do and finally, opening his cottony mouth, he yelled:  
"Hey Bud! I'm home!"  
He heard Bud swear, and some stumbling, as if people were getting dressed in a hurry. But Hyde stood his ground, the small fear increasing until his stomach became a ball of nerves.  
Bud came out first, tucking his shirt in his pants. Hyde couldn't see who was behind Bud, but he knew it, he could even smell her cheap-ass cologne.   
"Steven, you're early." Bud said, not trying to hide his disappointment.  
"Edna, I know you're behind him, stop hiding." Hyde replied.  
Sure enough, it was Edna Hyde, hair and make-up messed up, who stepped out of Bud's shadow, still buttoning her shirt.  
"Gee, hey Edna. Weren't you back east with a trucker friend of yours?" Hyde said, fighting for his self-control.  
"Hello to you too Steven. I was back east, but I decided to come back. Why, you missed me?" As soon as her sarcastic comment left her mouth, she regretted it. It was too harsh, and it was a cry for war.  
Steven felt the comment sting him, and he knew that was war.  
"Oh, how could I not miss my alcoholic mother who left me alone and broke for some trucker when I still had two years of high school left? Tell me how?" he spit back, his voice full of poison. He didn't regret his words. He saw the hurt look that passed on her face for an instant, but like summer rain, it faded instantly to be replaced by a smirk.  
"Always a smartass Steven, just like your father." she said. Bud turned to her.  
"Hey, don't drag me into this. If you two wanna hash each other, it's cool with me as long as I'm not mentioned in your little game."   
"Fine Bud. Fine." Hyde said as he struggled to regain his coolness. After succeeding, more or less, he cleared his throat.  
"Can I know what's happening here? It looks like a fucking tornado came through the room. Explanations, anyone?" he said, looking pointedly at Edna.  
"Don't start on me Steven. I'm your mother after all. I carried you in my stomach for nine months!" Edna's rage continued, as if she wanted Hyde to run to her and tell her everything was ok. But it wasn't ok. Hyde felt the pain of the first time she left all over again.   
  
'Sad little orphan boy.'  
  
"You may be my biological mother, but I sure as hell know who's my mother, the one who cared for me, and that's not you." Hyde said. He looked at Bud, while Edna didn't move, the angry sentences Hyde said hitting her like a kick in the teeth.  
"Where were we? Oh, yeah, I was asking you why everything's in a box!" Hyde's anger could be no longer controlled, and he yelled the question again to a stunned Bud.  
"Ahem, we're moving out." Bud said lightly.  
"Where are we going?" Hyde asked, pleased they were moving out. Maybe the money Bud had made would make them live in a cooler place, one that had heating maybe.   
Edna had in the meantime regained her composure, and now she smirked.  
"Not you. WE, as in Bud and I." she slurred.  
Hyde knew that she was drunk. Hell the question was knowing when she was sober. For an instant, he just looked at her, his mind reading slowly the information:  
  
'Bud and Edna are moving away without me. That means that...' and his little inward voice finished: 'They're bailing out on you man!'  
  
Slowly, he turned his head to Bud, who looked embarrassed.  
"Is this true?" Hyde demanded.  
"Well... I..." Bud stuttered.  
'Bud is drunk too!' he thought. He hadn't drinked in almost two years, and now that Edna was back, he was falling back in the habit.  
"You what?!" Hyde screamed. "You're bailing on me again, but this time together, is that it?!"   
Bud looked at Edna, and they both looked at him.  
"Yeah, that was the plan, before you came early." Edna said. "You sure know how to pick your timing Steven." 


	2. Chapter 2

Hyde looked at her, dumbstruck. He took off his glasses and looked at Bud right in the eyes.  
"You'd do that to me? Bud, we've been living together for a year man!" Hyde yelled.  
Bud looked uncomfortable.  
"I know son, but now, its time to take our separate ways." he slurred.  
Hyde put his glasses back on, so they couldn't see his eyes tearing up in anger. Yes, Steven Hyde cried, like any normal person, except his tears were those of anger.  
"I'm not your son. Don't ever call me son! You're both bastards! I hate you! Get out! Get the fuck out! And if I ever see the two of you again, I'll kill you! I swear to god!" he yelled as loud as he could.  
Edna was scared. She took Bud by the arm and pulled him inside the bedroom where they took the rest of their belongings. When they came back to the living room, they realized they had forgotten about the rest of their stuff. They looked at each other.  
"Steven, I'll be back tomorrow to pick up...." Bud said, but he got cut off by Hyde.  
"Forget it, I'm leaving! Don't ever come back!" Hyde said in controlled anger, and he could feel the anger diffusing in his body. He looked at his knuckles, they were white. He had to throw that hate at something. He took his jacket, his arms trembling with suppressed anger. He opened the door, almost running out, then threw his arm into the wall with all his strength, putting his body with it. The wall, which wasn't solid and felt like cardboard, hell it probably was cardboard, gave away under his fist. It felt good to hit something. To put the anger somewhere. Instead of putting it inside and letting it eat you alive with remorse and hidden pain, anger and hate. While both his "parents" looked at him, shocked, he took a chair and crashed it on the kitchen counter, opening at the same time a deep gash in his forearm. Edna whimpered when she saw the chair break, hiding behind Bud. He looked at them both, went to the door, and slammed the door shut with all his might, closing a door that could never be opened again.   
  
Back in his car, Hyde looked at his face in the rearview mirror. He was a wreck. Some tears had escaped and were smearing his face, as blood was smearing his shirt. He had forgotten about his cut. It was a nasty one at that as he looked at it closer under the car's light. He teared a bit of cloth from his shirt and tied it with it. He put both his hands on the wheel, but he couldn't repress tears anymore. They escaped his eyes, running down his even cheeks fast, each tear racing the other.  
'Stop it man! They're not worth your tears! Get a grip on yourself you wuss!' told him the little nagging voice in the back of his mind. He knew it was the truth, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't refrain the tears. He couldn't stop them or shrug them off. The pain was too intense. Being ditched once by his father, then by his mother, trusting his father again, and then both ditching him.   
'What a great life! What do I have to look forward to? Death, or Jail?' he thought bitterly as tears rained down his cheeks. Yet, he knew he had something.  
'I still have my friends, and Red and Kitty, the parents I've always wanted. At least, they care.' he thought, feeling something fuzzy inside.  
"That's my family. That's where I gotta be." he told himself.  
Pulling himself together, he wiped his eyes and face, started the car and drove off, heading to nowhere.  
  
  
Lights in front of him infuriated him. He wanted to be in the darkness, so he could think. Cars were coming the other way though, and he couldn't tell them to all go to hell. He kept thinking of going to the Formans, but too many questions will be asked, and they'd want him to talk about his feelings and stuff like that he would never do. They'd all be sympathetic to him, but he could never endure the look of pity they offered him. He kept driving, barely seeing when he passed Forman's house, the house he loved. He saw with the corner of his eye Eric and Donna, standing up and looking at each other. But now, he didn't care what was happening to them. He needed to clear his head. He saw a corner in the road, and he slammed his brakes and twisted the wheel. The car bounced up and down as it hit the curve, but he regained control of the car instantly. He knew where he was going, and he pushed more on the gas. His thoughts flew, as did the car in the night.  
  
  
  
The second chapter is kinda short, but what the hell, right? To Be Continued... 


	3. Chapter 3

Hyde's thoughts were buzzing in his head. He didn't have many possibilities on where to go. His thoughts were disturbing him, each and every one of them telling him he was not wanted wherever he would go. He doubted himself, Steven Hyde, the Zen master. He doubted his ability to live a normal life after this. His life was already pretty messed up before this.   
  
'Sad little orphan boy'  
  
He was driving aimlessly now, his mind on his thoughts more than on the road. He saw in the back of his mind the whole scene again, the expression on Edna's face, her tone. The way she talked to him, as if she wanted him to accept both of them bailing on him like good news. He was seeing an endless passing of houses. And at the same time, time seemed to freeze in his playback. He kept seeing over and over Bud and Edna's eyes, the carelessness shadowed by the alcohol in their blood. Hyde closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw a car in front of him. He tried braking, but the El Camino hit lightly the Cadillac.   
"Fuck!"   
He stopped the car, and put his head on the wheel.  
"Isn't this a great day!"  
He heard someone coming to his car, and he knew he was screwed for good.  
"Steven?"   
The voice sounded familiar, and he looked up. It was Jackie. She was looking at him in a weird way.  
"Steven, are you ok?"  
He looked at her, but not one word came out of his lips. His mind took him back to their first date, more like only date. The kiss they had shared was great, yet, she said she felt nothing. She rebuffed him. Yet another person who pushed him away. In his mind, he kept seeing the kiss, over and over, as if in a dream, as if he was there again. He felt her lips on his, her mouth parting slowly, as his tongue seeked entrance. He felt the urgency in her tongue, teasingly sweet, as it played a game of hide-and-seek with his. He felt her hand on his face, so soft, so smooth, caressing. It made him want to purr. But, yet, she had pushed him away. Like everybody else, like everyone he'd meet in his life. He heard the passenger door open, and he felt once more her touch on him. But it was harsh. She was shaking him, shaking him out of his reverie, out of his sad and hopeless thoughts. He was shaken back to reality, back to his pain-driven life. He blinked and looked up.  
"Steven, are you ok?" Jackie asked again.  
"What? Yeah, yeah."   
But he couldn't hide his pain this time, there was too much of it there, just waiting to leek out, like rust enhanced tears. Jackie might've been totally self-involved, but she knew Steven wasn't alright.  
"Steven, what happened?" she said, crouching down to see him better.  
"Nothing, nothing happened. Bud ... just... bail... nothing." he stuttered, on the brink of falling in the pool of tears that did look inviting and that awaited him.  
"Steven, tell me what's wrong! Maybe I can help you!" Jackie said, really worried about him. He looked strange, and she did notice a piece of cloth covering up his forearm.   
Hyde regained his self control in an instant. He couldn't be seen like this by people, he'd see their pitying looks again.  
  
'Sad little orphan boy.'  
  
He looked at Jackie.  
"Nothing, I'm fine. I gotta go!" he said, almost closing the car door on her.   
She backed off, and looked at him while he left. Steven looked like his whole life had been crumbling in front of him. She decided not to tell her father who had hit the car. She went back in, and took a hot bath, expensive bath oils making the bathroom smell divine.  
  
Hyde kept cursing at himself at the wheel of the car.  
"You idiot! What the fuck was going through your mind when you almost broke down in front of Jackie? God, you can be such a moron!"  
But, through the haze of his thoughts, an idea popped up, and he clearly saw where he should go, and he knew where he was going. His third father.  
  
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Man, I'm getting more and more out of character. This chapter is short, but I'm starting to get a case of WB, so, I had to put it up. Let's hope it gets resolved by tomorrow! PLZ, if u liked this, R/R! 


	4. Chapter 4

Light fell on the dark speeding car. Hyde was still half fuming, half in shock. He kept his eyes on the road, not wanting to crash another car. He sped along the familiar path to whom he called his third father. The guy who told him that if he had a son, he'd want him to be like him, the guy who gave him his car, the guy who was probably too stoned to ask questions or too drunk on saki to even bother: Leo.   
He was one of the only people who hadn't questioned him about his life, and who trusted him enough to let him lock up the FotoHut every night after work. He was his third father because, after Bud at first place, only because of his genetic side, and Red's second place, the one guy that actually cared for him, even thought he'd never admit it, Leo was the one guy that didn't get emotional on him and who accepted him as he was, simply Hyde.  
"Simply, simply my ass!" Hyde muttered under his breath.   
He kept seeing Edna and Bud, his biological parents, the ones who had hurt him the most, in the back of his mind, and he decided there was nothing else that could make him stop thinking of how they abandoned him the third time but some good old rock n' roll. He leaned over and switched on the radio. Loud rock blared in the car. The music made everything disappear for a while, but after Aerosmith's "Walk this Way", another song came on, "Love Hurts" by Nazareth. The lyrics made his heart swell with pain.  
  
"Love hurts,   
Love scars,  
Love wounds and mars  
Any heart,  
Not tough  
Or strong enough.  
To take a lot of pain,   
Take a lot of..."  
  
Hyde switched off the radio as fast as he could. He kept driving for a while, but the images of Bud and Edna flashing before his eyes were more than he could endure. His hand reached over, and began sorting through cassettes. He finally found one he liked: Zep's "Good Times, Bad Times". Rock blared through the speakers. This was definitely a bad time for him, but the good times came back to his mind, like hanging out in Forman's basement, the circle and Red kicking Forman's ass.  
  
"He he he, good times man!" he said out loud, chuckling at the memories they had made down there.  
  
He let himself drift, but he got his attention back to the road, as he almost passed Leo's house. He braked and put the car in park, he shut the engine and got out, closing and locking the door. Once more, his reflection on the car's window was one of him alone.  
  
'Sad little orphan boy.'  
  
He dismissed the thought, and walked up Leo's driveway. He knocked on the door, forgetting about the bell. Leo opened the door, wearing one of his pimpish bathrobes.  
  
"Hey Hyde man! Whatcha doing here man? Are you wanted by the police man?" Leo said looking around.  
  
Hyde smiled. Crashing at Leo's for a few days would definitely make him feel better.  
  
"No Leo man, I was just wondering if I could crash at your place for a few days man."   
  
"Sure man. Whoa, it's like having my son over man! This is awesome!"  
  
At the mention of the word "son", Hyde remembered his pain, and his stupid bastards of parents. Once again, he swallowed it.  
  
"Leo man, I thought you said you didn't have kids." Hyde replied, getting inside.  
  
"Yeah, I don't. But you're like the son, I never had, like I didn't have so it's the same thing man. Welcome home man!"  
  
Those words stung him, and he repressed the feelings again.  
  
"Thanks man. I'll take the couch, alright Leo?"  
  
"Sure man, goodnight son." Leo said, going to his own room.  
  
Hyde took off his boots and laid down, putting one arm under his head, looking at the ceiling. The day's events seemed to float above him, like a cloud of memories filling his hollow heart with pain. 


	5. Chapter 5

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Hyde had always known he would never lead a "normal" life. Too much pain to do that he thought. Ever since he was a kid, he had always been "cool", and as he grew up, fatherless, that was the only thing he could do to hide his jealousy. Yeah, Hyde was jealous as a kid of all the other kids who had normal families, a mom who would cook for them, care for them, make sure they didn't do anything stupid and a dad, a real life one, who would play baseball with them, and teach them how to ride a bike. None of that he had. None of it.   
  
His mother has always been an alcoholic, drinking her way through many different "uncles", like "uncle" Larry, "uncle" hot tub Johnny and so on and so forth. She didn't care for him, she just thought a kid was a nuisance. She wouldn't make him peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, he had to steal them from others, like the few toys he had. Those he either stole or found in the garbage near their house. And yet, as a kid, he had called her mom. But how long can you call the woman passed out on the couch your mother. There was no mutual respect in their family.   
  
He had lost of the respect he has for her when he had seen her naked, straddling one of his "uncles" and doing it with him. He had looked at them with rounded eyes, not realizing what she was doing. She had turned around and yelled at him to go out. He left her right then, left all his respect for her and went out. He was just about ten years old. And since then, he had called her mostly Edna, even if sometimes, he would call her "Ma". She found him some time after that, sitting on the porch, looking at the sky and crying. But then, the only thing she did was yell at him, telling him he had to knock before coming in. What kind of a mother was that? Telling him he had to knock before coming in? He was ten, he had just had a nightmare. Yet the nightmare was just starting. As he got older, the only thing she did was remind him he had ruined her "water skiing" career and how like his father he was.  
  
Pshh, his father. A fine person he was. The bastard who had left them both when Hyde was just 8 years old. It was right after one of his little league games. He was up for bat he remembered. He kept looking at the bleachers, but Bud Hyde was nowhere to be seen. Bud didn't see him bat or his team win thanks to him. Red had given him a ride to his house. He thanked him and got out. As he went up the steps of the porch, he kept wishing Bud would come out and say he was sorry for missing the game, and that that will never happen again. Instead, he opened the door and found his mother sitting on the couch, crying. He went to her and asked what was happening. She had looked at him with nothing but annoyance.  
  
"Your father left."  
"When will he be back mommy?" he had asked, not thinking of the worse.  
"Never, never." she had told him, before going to her bedroom and shutting the door. Little Hyde stayed there, as he began to cry. He went to bed, and cried the whole night at how his daddy left.   
  
He was barely seventeen when Edna had ditched him too. Just went away with a trucker. He thought she would come back, but he had thought too highly of her. She didn't come back, and believe it or not, he actually did miss her sometimes. That was before he started living with the Formans and started loving Kitty like his own mother.  
But less then a year later, surprise surprise, who had come back to town? Bud.  
  
He remembered that day too, now, turning on his side on Leo's narrow couch. He and the guys were just going to get some beers, hopefully enough to make them all look pretty before they kicked them out because of their age. The went in, and as always Kelso made an ass of himself, saying they were in school. He had looked at the bartender, and kept staring at him. Yup, the bartender, his father, the guy that disappeared for nine years. Two nights later, he had come back to the bar, screaming at him all of his wrath, and Bud had just caved, saying he really was a bad parent, and that there was no reason why Hyde should forgive him. But yet, Hyde did and he moved in with him, leaving the Formans and Eric's company.  
  
Eric. His best friend and the guy he envied most. He had everything going for him, except, of course the body, since he was scrawny. But Eric had everything else, a great girl, Donna (on which Hyde had a crush earlier), great parents, sweet Kitty and hardass Red, and a prey for all the burns you could make up, Laurie aka earth mother whore. But they, the "perfect" family had welcomed him in their house, arms wide open, and accepted him as their own. But life with them wasn't the little life he wanted to live, or so he thought at first. Kitty and Red wanted him to try harder, to become the person he knew he could become.   
He had felt really bad when he got arrested for possession, it was like being a traitor to them. But they accepted him back. They were his family, a great one, the one he loved, one of the only things he cared for in his life.   
  
Even all of his positive thoughts on the Formans, "the family" couldn't erase all the pain he felt from his biological "parents" ditching him. It was bad enough that they both had ditched him once. But now, it was double the pain. He felt betrayed. He had trusted Bud, and yet, he stabbed him in the back, like a petty thief. What a fine pair they made. Two bastards who couldn't look at life in the face. Whenever a problem arose, all they did was run.   
  
"Cowards! Fucking cowards!" he said out loud.  
  
The sound resonated in the empty dark house. In his reverie, he had imagined them being there, that's why he called them cowards. But his reverie melted and he was alone once more, crashing at Leo's place.  
  
'Sad little orphan boy.'  
  
Man, he hated that phrase. It made him sound like a wuss who cried day in and day out because his mommy and daddy left him. To tell the truth, at first he was sad, all of the memories of his childhood coming back to him when Edna left. But now, having bottled everything up, more like buried it in a secret part of his heart, all he felt was anger and hatred. If they ever came to him again, when he had a job and a good life, he wouldn't look at them twice. The hurt they caused him was eternally engraved in his mind, in his heart. Nothing they would ever do could erase that or make the pain go away.  
  
'Sad little orphan boy.' his mind kept saying.  
  
He was too weak to fight it now, he just wanted to fall asleep, to fall in the boon we all crave. He knew that sleep also meant nightmares, but he didn't care. No nightmare could be harsher than his life right now. Nothing could scare him now. Nothing. And with that, he turned on his side, closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him to a, hopefully, better place, filled with booze, chicks, rock n' roll and some of his best stuff.  
  
  
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Chapter 5 is over. I think this was better then the last ones. I think it gives us more insight on Hyde's life. Hope you agree! As always R/R! 


	6. Chapter 6

The sun rose, but Hyde was already awake. He could hear the rain falling, as if the day felt as bad as him. He was still on the couch, his hand under his head. He was looking at the ceiling, still thinking of what-ifs. What if Bud had never left, what if Edna had stayed, what if he never went to that bar that day. If, if, if. But that wasn't reality. Reality was harsh, reality was painful, but it was real. No little boy dreams could change the past or take away the pain. Everyone always told him to think of the happy times, the good stuff, but that just made rejection harder. It just made him sicker, sicker of it all. What if, what a stupid phrase. It wasn't like things would change if he thought of the good times. It just made him furious, the good times. Because the good times make the bad times seem worse. How could someone wreck the good times for this cheap life. He didn't know, he couldn't understand.   
  
'Sad little orphan boy.'  
  
Yeah, it was just like the sad little orphan boy who didn't understand why his parents kept leaving him. God how he hated that sentence. He decided he had waited on the couch long enough.  
  
Hyde shook his head and decided to get up and eat something. He did so, and went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and he found two bottles of saki, some milk, cookies, olives, cheese, salami and some orange juice. He kept wondering why Leo put cookies in the fridge, but after all, it was Leo. He smiled and took the carton of juice, drinking from it. He put it back, needing something stronger. His hand reached for the saki bottle, but he stopped. He was not going to start drinking in the morning. It would just make him more like Bud. He closed the fridge, his smile fading. He went to a cupboard and after some searching, he found some coffee. He made the strong brew, it's fragrance filling the room. It reminded him of the Formans. God, he wished he was there. Kitty's cooking always made him feel better. He poured a cup of coffee, and drank it. He needed to sort everything out, to get some closure he kept thinking. Then, the thought hit him.  
  
"I need to see Edna and Bud leave." he whispered.  
  
He looked at his watch. Ten thirty. He didn't have school, today being a Saturday. He decided he would do it. From habit, he knew Edna and Bud usually got up at like noon or so. He still had a lot of time in front of him. He went upstairs, to Leo's room.   
He knocked and found Leo sleeping with his Leo, his small weiner dog. Hyde had always laughed at this. I mean who the hell gave the dog his own name? But only Leo could think of something that weird. Leo half woke up at the sound of his knocking.  
  
"Whoa man, good morning! What's for lunch?" Leo said.  
  
"Leo, it's ten thirty am. Still early for lunch. Anyway, I wanted to tell you I'm taking the day off. I have some stuff to fix." Hyde replied.  
  
"Sure man. Goodnight." Leo said, getting back to sleep.   
  
Hyde went back downstairs, took his jacket off the chair where he had propped it, and left closing the door quietly.  
  
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He drove his car aimlessly for a while, dreading the moment he'd see them leaving. But he decided it was better to go there and get it over with. He drove back to Bud's apartment, and parked in a vacant spot on the other side of the road. It was a safe distance from the apartment, and with the pouring rain, they wouldn't notice him. The wait seemed endless, and for a moment, he thought they had already bailed. Then, he saw the U-Haul truck coming down the street. He saw it park, and he saw a guy getting out. Bud. He felt the urge to go to him and punch his teeth out. But he remained calm, and, leaning over, he took out the pack of cigarettes. He didn't really smoke, he just took one every once in a while. He lit it and took a drag. The smoke nauseated him, and he took out a pack of chewing gum, putting one in his mouth. The cigarette's taste faded, and it was almost like smoking a menthol. He kept smoking, opening his car window a little. He kept looking at the apartment door until he saw Edna and Bud walking to the truck with a bunch of cartons. He heard their loud swearing from his car. After a while, the last carton was in the truck, and Bud stopped before getting in the truck, as if he had regrets.  
  
'Regrets my ass you bastard!' Hyde kept thinking.   
  
Finally, they got in the truck and left. Hyde knew it was going to happen even though he had wished in a kid like fashion for them to see him or to regret what they were about to do, call him and say that they decided not to leave. To stay and try to be a family. But he knew it was never gonna happen. He started the car and took his usual parking spot. He got out.  
  
Going up the three floors to Bud's apartment was the toughest thing he ever did. He unlocked the door and went in. The apartment was almost empty except for the television and his own stuff thrown carelessly everywhere. He found an empty cardboard box and started putting his things in. He was done when a knock was hear. He went to the door and found the landlord.   
  
"Hello Steven. I know what happened. I'm sorry." he said.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Hyde replied.  
  
"Well, your father told me to tell you to take the TV. He left it for you."  
  
Hyde turned around and looked at the TV. He looked back at the landlord.  
  
"You take it, I don't want anything to do with them."  
  
The landlord looked at him and nodded. Hyde took his box and went downstairs. They were wanting to buy him off. What hypocrites. He always thought that Bud had started to understand him, but he was wrong. He had hoped for a note, an apology, anything. But all they left him was a television. That's what one year of living together was worth. A television set. Hyde laughed bitterly at this. He got to his car, unlocked it and put the box in the front seat with him. He started the engine and left. The rain had stopped while he was in the apartment, and he took it as a sign. It was over. A new day had started. No more bad feelings. Nothing. And with that, he started driving to the Formans, preparing to tell them of what had happened. He kept looking for a way to say it, but after many tries, he just thought that he'll see how it turns out when he gets there. He was itching to go back to the Formans, to his home. He pushed on the gas, wanting to get it over with. 


	7. Chapter 7

The car stopped abruptly in front of the house. Hyde got out, leaving his stuff in the car. He locked it and started walking towards the kitchen door, still rehearsing a cool and calm way to tell them. He was in the driveway when Fez came over to him, running.  
  
"Hyde, I have terrible news."  
  
"Oh, you do?" Hyde threw back carefully.  
  
"Yes, last night, Eric broke up with Donna."  
  
"They did? Wow man, Forman and Donna must be a wreck. And you owe me five bucks."  
  
"I know." Fez said, dipping his hand into his pants. He shelled out a five, and gave it to Hyde, who put it in his pocket without even looking at it.   
  
Hyde's mind was far away. He had doubts now. Should he tell them, and make the day worse, or should he wait until everything was better to tell them, crashing at Leo's for a while? Hyde's mind swam with doubt. All of his certitudes about moving back with the Formans were gone. He felt bad enough, and Forman's whining and mopping around wouldn't help. On the other hand, he was his best friend, and he knew how much Donna meant to him. Man, he wondered what made them split up. But he already felt bad enough. He didn't need to know for now. What they both needed was some fun. An idea popped in his head.  
  
"Fez, have you heard of the new amusement park that opened? Fun Land or something?"  
  
"Yes, I did. I went there. They have the best candy in town."  
  
"Right, candy. Man, what's with that obsession? I hope it doesn't get worse." Hyde told him, chuckling at Fez's expression.  
  
They started walking towards the house. Hyde opened the door, and the smell of lunch hit him. Man, he was hungry. Anger fuels you up, but it can also make you hungry as hell. Kitty greeted them with a worn look on her face.  
  
"Hello boys, how's everything going?" she said.  
  
Hyde had the sudden urge to tell her, to make this burden go away. But he couldn't. Not yet, and the expression on her face was not a cheerful one. She was worrying.  
  
"We're fine Mrs. Forman." Hyde said, swallowing the huge lump in his throat. "We heard about Donna and Eric. How is he?"  
  
"Honey, he's not doing ok. He's in his room, just looking at the ceiling. I've never seen him so down, not even when Laurie threw out some of his G.I. Joes. My baby boy's heart is broken."  
  
"It's ok, we'll take care of it." Hyde said, going up to Eric's room, where he was as Kitty said, laying down on his bed looking at the ceiling. Kelso joined them, and they tried to get him to go to Fun Land with them. But Eric wouldn't move.  
Hyde wanted to tell him that people counted too, that it wasn't such a tragedy, that worse things could happen, that his parents bailed out on him again, and that he had to stop acting like such a wuss. But he couldn't. Not then.  
  
The next few days or weeks, since Hyde stopped counting time, passed him in a whirlwind. Eric and Donna always fought, and finally, they started becoming friends again, whatever that meant. One day, Leo brought home with him a hootie momma. And Hyde had to listen to them playing twister or whatever all night. He decided it was the good time for him to go to the Formans. He just went in at night, with his box, using the basement door. He opened the door to his old room, and he found that it was kept exactly as he had left it. He tossed his clothes into his locker, which he used as a closet and looked around. He found a note on his bed. It was written by Kitty. He knew it by the delicate cursive hand-writing before he even started reading it.  
  
My dear Steven,  
  
I've left your room the way you left it so that if you need a place to stay, you can always use it. You're like a son to me, and if you ever need to talk you can always tell me what's on your mind.  
  
Love,  
  
Kitty.  
  
  
He felt uncontrollably weak right there, and before he knew it, one lonely, single tear made its way down his cheek and onto the piece of paper, smudging a single word, the word Love. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found this family, his family. He was glad to be home again.  
  
The morning after, he got up, put on his robe and went upstairs, where the smell of grilled bacon guided him. He sat down with a stunned family and helped himself to waffles. They questioned him, but he wouldn't answer right then. When Eric and Red left the table, he looked at Kitty and said:  
  
"Thanks for the note Mrs. Forman. It means a lot."  
  
She looked at him.  
  
"Edna and Bud left. They let you down again. I'm so sorry Steven. But you know, we'll never let you down. Never."  
  
She got up and hugged him, and he was sure now who his mother was, the one God or whoever sent him. He was a part of the family again. It felt good to finally feel at home somewhere.  
  
  
THE END  
  
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I wanna thank all the people who reviewed, and the others that were my lab rats. lol. By that I mean Krissy, Kate and everyone else. Thanks a lot. 


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